


The Sounding Sea

by canis_m



Category: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-07-25
Updated: 2009-07-25
Packaged: 2017-10-07 01:57:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canis_m/pseuds/canis_m
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the pink tentacle.  Includes spoilers for events in <i>King Abaddon</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Sounding Sea

"You know, Raidou, sometimes I despair of you. Here we are at an Italian joint, maybe the best in the Capital, and you go and order rice."

Raidou paused with his spoon halfway to his mouth. The rice was risotto, strictly speaking--not unlike rice porridge, but still Italian, according to the menu--and more to the point, it was delicious. Almost too rich, with shrimp in it. Buttery. In lieu of answer he ate the spoonful and looked up from under the brim of his hat.

For a man in despair Narumi seemed pretty pleased with his lot. Not even the squall that had blown up since their arrival at the restaurant did much to dampen his mood. Their table was near enough to the window to offer a view of the tumult on the bay, but it was getting too dark to see anything outside, except when lightning flashed. Narumi twirled a forkful of _spaghetti al nero di seppia_ and held it up, one hand cupped below it, eyebrows raised.

He did have a knack for invitation. Raidou was on the verge of accepting when a tremendous clap of thunder boomed.

The lights flickered once, twice.

Then failed altogether.

Darkness swallowed the room--

\--or would have, if not for the candles on every table. A burble of talk welled up from the whole restaurant as patrons turned to each other in the wobbly golden light. Narumi set down his fork.

"So much for modern technology," he said. "No harm done to the ambience, though. Candles are a nice touch. Not a bad place to bring a bird you're trying to impress."

Something warm moved under the table, sidling against Raidou's shin. His first thought was that it must be Gouto, but he soon realized the shape was wrong. And the intention.

"Or a newly promoted associate detective. Nice ring to it, eh? 'Associate.'"

Raidou set down his spoon. He firmed his lips. Even with the dimness and the long drape of the tablecloth and the overall low probability that anyone else in the restaurant was paying any attention to their feet--and despite the fact that some contrary parts of him seemed to appreciate what Narumi was doing--there were boundaries of propriety, boundaries deserving of respect--

"Ow!"

The foot recoiled. Narumi scowled downward.

"Cat, I swear, if you snagged anything, so help me--"

He ducked to examine his pant leg. While he was preoccupied, Raidou extracted several shrimp from his risotto, put them on a bread plate, and lowered the plate to the floor.

The pant leg turned out to be unsnagged, either despite Gouto's efforts or thanks to his forbearance. Raidou suspected the latter. To distract Narumi he asked for a taste of the squid-ink pasta, and traded a spoonful of risotto in exchange. Narumi allowed that for rice at an Italian joint it wasn't bad, not bad at all.

In the end they were both too full for dessert. Narumi leaned back in his chair, lit a cigarette, and glanced at the reams of water sluicing down the window glass.

"Looks like a regular bruiser out there. We might have to cool our heels a while before we can get a cab."

It was no use suggesting they go by other means, not when Narumi's shoes were new (Italian leather for an Italian dinner, he'd said) and the rain was coming down in sideways sheets. Raidou did a swift calculation. Taxi fare from Harumi-Cho would be steep, but they could probably afford it, even on top of the dinner and the shoes. The detective agency's finances were in somewhat better straits since Narumi had put him in charge of the books. It was the only substantial new responsibility attached to his so-called promotion.

Raidou's feelings about that were mixed. On the one hand, he wasn't insensitive to titles--not after that "Manly Fop" business with the Herald of Yatagarasu--and "associate" did have an appealing ring. On the other hand, trying to regulate Narumi's spending was (as Gouto had observed) a hopeless task. Hopeless and thankless. The faces he made when Raidou told him he couldn't have new cuff-links were terrible, and his obedience to directives had so far been erratic. To say the least.

Still, there was satisfaction to be taken in imposing order on chaos. And the faces Narumi made when Raidou told him they could go out to eat were not unendearing. To say the least.

His expression wasn't unendearing even now. His cigarette dangled from the crook of his smile as he spoke.

"How about you wave down the waiter and order us a couple cappuccinos, and I'll go see about a cab."

He got up from the table without explaining what cappuccino was, or how much alcohol it contained, and went to speak to the maitre d'. Raidou looked for their waiter, but in the aftermath of the power outage most of the staff had gone to ground in the kitchen. He wondered if he should send a Volt demon in solo to help.

In the sky outside there was electricity to spare. A trident of lightning zigzagged down and struck the bay, illuminating it for a split second. Another clap of thunder boomed, so loud it seemed to rattle the windows and the tableware. Raidou glanced out toward the harbor as the lightning flashed again.

For an instant he saw the roiling bay--the moored ships tossing on it--and something long, something tapered and enormous rising out of the sea.

Then the glimpse was gone.

Thunder roared as the blood rushed to Raidou's head. He got up from his chair and moved closer to the window, face nearly pressed to the glass. For long heartbeats no lightning flashed. He turned all his senses outward. If he strained, he could just detect an uncanny presence in the middle distance: muted, almost muffled, but there.

"Gouto," he said quietly.

A furry black face poked out from under the tablecloth.

"What. Remind me again why I tagged along for this farce? Those shrimp were good, but not that good. You're a big boy, you can chaperone your own appendages." Gouto's whiskers twitched. "Hang on." He slunk out from under the table and put his paws on the windowsill. A young man and woman at the neighboring table looked askance. "I'm getting something--you sense that aura?"

Raidou told Gouto what he'd seen.

"Like a _tentacle?_" The green eyes narrowed. "Swell. Just when I thought our luck was getting back on an even keel. We'd better check it out, though. Can't let a thing like that slide by just because the weather's foul."

In a moment Narumi returned to the table. "No cappuccino?" he asked. "Never mind--there's a couple of dames headed for Ginza, if we want to jump in with them and split the fare. Cab's already..." he trailed off, following Raidou's stare toward the harbor. "What's the matter? Something fishy out there?"

Raidou's hand went to his sword hilt. Narumi would understand.

"I guess that means the party's over. You want me to wait? We can get another cab."

Raidou shook his head. "Please go ahead."

For a minute Narumi looked as if he might dawdle, but then he grinned at Raidou with a smile like a twisted rag. "All right. I'll tell the dames a sob story and let 'em buy me a stiff one in Ginza, since my dinner date gave me the slip."

Before Raidou could wonder whether he ought to object, Narumi clapped him on the shoulder.

"Kidding. Watch yourself out there. I'll see you at home."

It wasn't until after he'd left that the waiter returned with the bill.

*

The rain continued to pound even after the worst of the lightning and thunder had passed. Within half a minute of stepping outside the restaurant, both Raidou and Gouto were drenched. They started toward the docks, but the streetlamps had gone out with the power, leaving the harborside pitch black. Raidou reached under his sodden cape to pull one of his tubes and summoned Raiju. The demon was a recent capture, not fully tamed; it hissed and crackled as the rain struck it, but lit up their surroundings at Raidou's command.

The light helped, but the downpour off the brim of Raidou's hat still left him half-blind. He adjusted it and looked down to see that Gouto's ears were plastered flat.

"Come on, junior, let's shake a leg. I don't like this rain, and I like the fact that whatever you saw is sticking its mitts out of the Dark Realm into our world even less."

Together they ran to the nearest jetty. Rough waves crashed against the planks of the dock, throwing up spume. Raidou stopped in the middle of the dock and directed Raiju forward.

"Where exactly did you spot it?" Gouto asked.

Raidou pointed at the middle of the bay.

"Hmm. Why don't we see what we can see a little further out from shore?"

With the flick of another tube Raidou summoned Raja Naga, who shot a blast of air frigid with ice magic straight out over the waves. The surface of the water froze immediately. Raidou summoned Raiju again for light, and he and Gouto stepped out onto the spit of ice.

They had to tread carefully. When they reached the end of the path, they both stopped, squinting through the rain. The muted presence Raidou had sensed before now seemed immanent, immense.

"Whatever it is, it's no minnow," muttered Gouto. "My fur'd be standing on end if it weren't stuck to my skin."

Raidou nodded, feeling gladder than ever that Narumi had gone home. Not that he didn't trust himself to keep safe any person in his charge, but if it came to a battle he could do without Narumi getting stray gouts of ichor on his Italian leather shoes.

A jagged shape floated past in the water, tossed up and down by the waves: the wreckage of a small ship. Raidou peered at the mangled wood, looking for bite marks, claw marks, globs of slime--anything that might provide a clue--but there was nothing. He wiped his brow in frustration. He could sense the demon, it was here, it was close, but under the surface he just couldn't _see--_

"Look out!" Gouto hissed.

Something snaked out of the darkness to whip past Raidou's head.

His body reacted by reflex. Before another drop of rain could splash against the ice, his sword was out, lashing back at the thing he'd scarcely glimpsed. The blade struck flesh. The flesh was thick, but it parted under steel.

The tentacle snaked back into the sea and vanished.

Its severed tip fell to the ice, oozing blood.

Raidou and Gouto waited, but the presence below the water only waned, then disappeared.

*

The lights were still on at the detective agency office when they returned. Narumi looked up from the coffee pot and snickered as they came dripping through the door.

"Couple of drowned rats," he said. Then he took a closer gander at what Raidou was carrying. "And one jumbo piece of calamari. Holy smokes. Were you still hungry after dinner, or is that a souvenir from the thing you tangled with?" He pitched a towel at Raidou. "Coffee's on. I'll pour, you dry."

There were more towels draped over the railing. Raidou set down his "souvenir," took off his waterlogged cape, and knelt first to minister to Gouto, who suffered the indignity of being toweled as he'd suffered the affront of torrential rain. After Raidou had blotted him dry--or less wet--Gouto padded forward to sniff once more at the chunk of tentacle. His whiskers twitched.

"It's demon, all right, but beyond that I couldn't say. Better take it to Victor tomorrow, find out what he knows."

Raidou nodded. He wiped his face and neck with another towel. When Narumi approached and handed him a cup of coffee, he raised it to his lips and drank at once. The heat of it felt wonderful going down. It pooled in his belly and warmed him clear through.

Narumi was sipping from his own cup. "Not quite cappuccino, but not bad, if I say so myself."

Raidou glanced up in surprise.

"What, you didn't know cappuccino was coffee? What'd you think it was?"

Raidou shook his head to say never mind. When he thought of how Narumi had readied the towels, and exerted himself so far as to make coffee for both of them, he smiled a little. He asked whether Ginza had been enjoyable, with the two ladies.

"I was pulling your leg about that, remember? Anyway, those dames got a whiff of my garlic breath and gave me the boot first chance they got." Narumi extended a foot to prod the tentacle tip gingerly with his toe. "If you've got plans for the calamari, why don't we let it spend the night on the roof? I doubt anybody'll make off with it, and I hate to think what the place might smell like in the morning if we leave it here."

It was too heavy for any scavenger to carry off, that was certain. Raidou couldn't blame Narumi for not wanting to keep a chunk of unknown demon in the office, let alone in the apartment. The longer he stared at it, the more gruesome it seemed. Even the tapered end of it was as thick around as Raidou's thigh. It was the color of old bruises--here purplish, there greenish. The round suckers that lined its underside were a sickly pink. At least the rain had washed off most of the blood.

He blinked to find Narumi prying the coffee cup from his hands.

"C'mon, you look dead on your feet. Coffee's all right, but a hot bath's what you really need, with the soaking you got. Let's close up shop."

Hefting his burden into his arms again, Raidou followed Gouto into the hall. Narumi shut off the lights and locked the office door behind them, still carrying both coffee cups in one hand.

*

Nothing disturbed the piece of tentacle on the rooftop overnight. In the morning Raidou delivered it straight to the Gouma-Den. Dr. Victor was delighted with the gift.

"How can I help you today, Kuzuno--hmm? What's this? You've brought me another specimen from the field? How stimulating! Come, bring it here, put it on the table."

Raidou laid the piece of tentacle on the laboratory table as instructed. At once Victor began to bustle around it, peering and poking, hrming and hawing, affixing electrodes to the rubbery flesh.

"Intriguing, most intriguing. I have a hypothesis, but I'll need some time to analyze it fully. Why don't you come back in a few hours?"

Raidou was content to leave him to it. On his way out he stopped at Konnou-Ya to sell a few Smoke Balls that were weighing down his pockets. The owner griped about the weather, the lack of business, the electricity bill. Gouto sat waiting by the doorway, watching water spout from the building's eaves. The night's storms had ended, but the rain had yet to do the same.

"Wouldn't hurt to keep the Herald posted," said Gouto, when Raidou's business was done. "Even if chances are she's already in the know."

Chances were she would be, but Raidou agreed, so they set out for Shinoda by tram. Neither of them was inclined to travel by dragon in bad weather, except in cases of emergency: dampness didn't faze Raidou, but lightning did, and Great Kohryu seemed to attract it. The dragon himself found it delightful, he said. For passengers it was less of a jolt and more of a fricassee.

The rain had weakened to a drizzle by the time they reached Shinoda station. It trickled off to almost nothing as they followed the path through the woods to the Nameless Shrine. The old monk who made a habit of prophecy was sitting in his usual spot, at a Buddhist altar halfway up the trail. He appeared to be deep in meditation, but Raidou bowed a greeting as he always did. Smiling benevolently, the monk stretched out a quavering hand.

"Follow your path, young Kuzunoha. I can see it...it leads to the sea, the sounding sea...the white spray on the waves..."

The monk squinted, as if the future had grown inexplicably hazy. Then he blinked, turned beet red, and broke into a wheeze. Once the wheezing had subsided, he spoke again.

"Ahem! I, ah, I hope the words of a monk like me can aid you, young Kuzunoha. My goodness, that put me in mind of my acolyte days."

The monk winked.

The wink was so fleeting and so unlikely that Raidou couldn't quite believe he'd seen it. Nonplussed, he bowed once more and continued up the trail.

All was quiet at the shrine itself. Raidou and Gouto walked through faint mist to the main hall of worship, where Raidou tugged the rope to ring the bell. The Herald of Yatagarasu appeared and asked what was amiss. Raidou explained in brief what he'd seen and done the night before.

"Yes," the Herald said, in a voice as serene as ever. "The unrest in deep waters has not escaped our notice. A danger has arisen from the sea. We trust that you are prepared to face it. Much is expected of you, Kuzunoha Raidou the Fourteenth."

Much was always expected. At least she hadn't winked. Raidou bowed, and the Herald took her leave.

He spent an hour in the training hall, mainly on Gouto's suggestion. The fox statues outside the shrine praised his diligence, but Raidou hardly thought himself praiseworthy when he was only killing time. None of the demons in the hall posed a real challenge to him anymore, not unless he fought them alone, without summoning an ally. He wondered what battle with an underwater demon would be like, and whether it could be waged at all.

When they returned from Shinoda to the Gouma-Den, Dr. Victor was ecstatic.

"Kraken! Yes, a kraken, without a doubt! Wonderful, Kuzunoha! A creature of the abyssal depths--how rare for one to appear on the surface, let alone in such a populated area! The recent series of earthquakes must have disturbed it."

He gesticulated over a bestiary propped on the table, next to the chunk of tentacle, which was beginning to look worse for the wear. Raidou tilted the book to show Gouto the illustration of a gigantic creature--something like an octopus, something like a squid--engaged in either fierce battle or copulation with a frigate. It was hard to say which.

"I myself have never had the happy fortune to observe one, but there are excellent descriptions in the records of a Norwegian bishop. It seems they've been more frequently encountered in the north Atlantic. Powerful demons, to be sure. That would explain this one's appearance outside the Dark Realm."

But how could it be fought, Raidou wondered, if it hid under the water's surface, out of reach?

"Of course, extermination would be your chief concern." Dr. Victor stroked his chin. Then his eyes began to glitter wildly, or more wildly than before. He snapped his fingers in the air. "Eureka! I have it. Your problem, Kuzunoha, is your _weapon._"

"Not again," Gouto muttered at Raidou's feet.

Dr. Victor continued feverishly. "If you attempt to use a sword or spear against it, or even a firearm, the wounded kraken will merely submerge and escape, as you have so keenly observed. What you will need, therefore, is not a spear but a harpoon."

"A harpoon," repeated Gouto.

"The whaler's weapon of choice! But not just any harpoon will do--the demon would simply snap an ordinary line. It must be wrought of sterner stuff." Dr. Victor rushed toward a table on which his scientific records were stacked in towering, inchoate piles. He snatched up a leatherbound notebook and flipped it open. "I believe I can use my techniques of sword alchemy to produce what you need, but as the weapon is unusual, it will require some unusual components."

Gouto took out his own notebook with a long-suffering sigh.

"According to my flawless calculations, the following will be required: two Frost Steels, two Pagan Steels, one Pearl, and a lump of ambergris."

"Ambergris?" echoed Gouto. "Of all the--"

Dr. Victor waved a gloved hand airily. "A substance produced by whales. The blade will need to be imbued with it. Do not question these scientific truths, Kuzunoha--you may be a brilliant summoner, but you are hardly an alchemist. Oh, and the base weapon must be a spear, but any sort will do. A Himezuru or whatever is most convenient."

He shut the leatherbound notebook with a _flump._

As Raidou and Gouto made their way up the stairs from the basement, Gouto's ears were flat.

"I hate to sound like an ingrate," he muttered, "but if it's not one thing it's another. You've got all the goods except the ambergris, right? Even the Pearl?"

Raidou nodded.

"Well, I suppose we'll get hold of it somewhere. I've heard of the stuff, but all I know about it is it doesn't come cheap." Gouto slanted a look at Raidou. "Why don't you ask your favorite maven of all things expensive?"

*

"There you are," said Narumi, as Raidou and Gouto returned to the office. "You'll never guess who called. Owner of Ryugu. Seems one of her family's boats had its deck whacked clean through by your friend in the harbor last night. After all the hijinks earlier this year, they can't afford another setback to the business."

He pitched forward, elbows splayed on the desk.

"Raidou, this is big. She's willing to deep-six the old tab _and_ start a new one--that'd be in your name, not mine--if we help her out. You're already on the job, right? Might as well get paid for it. Works out convenient-like for everybody." He dabbed his cigarette over the ashtray and leaned back. "I see you dumped the calamari. Smart move--it was starting to smell pretty ripe. So what's the good word?"

Raidou reported what he'd learned from Victor about the kraken and how it might be defeated.

"A harpoon, eh? Makes sense you'd need something like that for a water demon. Be tough to get at it with your usual rig." Narumi tapped a finger thoughtfully against his chin. "Oh, before I forget--another request came in for you. I put it on your desk."

The most physical evidence of Raidou's promotion stood just to the left of the phonograph, along the wall. It was a small desk, modest but well made: the cherry wood surface had a beautiful grain. Raidou was sure it had not been inexpensive. Narumi had refused to hand over the receipt.

It was a present, he'd said. Anything to get Raidou to quit standing over by the railing like a glorified hat rack. Might be all right for an errand boy to stand around like that, but an associate detective should have a place to put his feet up, keep the tools of his trade.

Raidou never put his feet up, but he liked the desk, the sense of fixture it implied. Not permanence, maybe, but stability. He liked having a place to store case files in a more organized fashion than Narumi was apt to maintain. He liked the knowledge that even if he left the office, or had to leave the agency for a time, there was a space within it designated as his, one that would be waiting for his return.

He'd never felt the absence of such things until he was furnished with them. Until Narumi had furnished them. Raidou sat down at the desk to read the message from Harada &amp; Co.: another routine request for goods. Wood ornaments again. He had two in the bottom desk drawer, but the request could wait. Acquiring the materials for Victor to forge the harpoon was his first priority.

He turned his head and asked Narumi where he might find ambergris.

"Ambergris?" Narumi looked surprised. "In a perfume shop, for starters."

"A perfume shop?"

"Sure. They use the stuff in their concoctions. As for where to find a perfume shop, let me see. You know that soda fountain in Ginza? Not Shin-Sekai--I mean the original soda shop, the one in the drugstore. Shisaido Parlour, it's called. Down the block from there same company has a place selling potions and powders and eau d'who-knows-what. Brick building, three stories, right on the main drag."

Raidou thanked him and prepared to leave.

"You headed over there now? Hold on a tic, I think I'll go with you." Narumi ducked behind the folding screen to put on his jacket and adjust his tie in front of the vanity. He had just reached for his hat when there was a knock at the door.

Since Raidou was on the steps already, he went to open it. A familiar visitor stood on the opposite side.

"Hi, Raidou. Oh, did I come at a bad time? Were you two on your way out?" Tae breezed into the office, notepad in hand. "Just tell me what you know about these harbor attacks, and I'll be out of your hair."

Narumi went back to the vanity to finesse the exact angle of his hat. "And why should we know anything about it?"

"Hmm, let me think," said Tae. "Mysterious attacks two nights in a row? Ships at anchor split clean in half and found sunk in the morning? _Suction marks_ this big around--" she formed a circle with her arms "--on the hull of a Navy vessel? No sign of the culprit anywhere on dry land? Why would I imagine the Narumi 'We Specialize In Special Cases' Detective Agency might know anything about that?"

Narumi exchanged a glance with Raidou. "Two nights in a row? So last night wasn't the first. Sounds like the thing's nocturnal, though."

"Hah! You _do_ know something about it." Tae flipped her notepad to an open page.

"All right, you got us there," Narumi said. "Here's an idea--why don't we all pool our intelligence over lunch? That toast I had earlier just isn't cutting the mustard. Ginza'll keep for another hour, eh Raidou?"

Raidou lowered his head. He hated to contradict Narumi in front of anyone, even Tae, but--duty was duty.

"We can't," he said. "It's not in the budget."

Tae's jaw dropped. Narumi looked aghast, then aggrieved. He turned to Tae with his shoulders slumped. "See what I get for promoting him."

Her face cleared. "It's about time! You needed someone to tighten your purse strings, and you know it, too, if you put Raidou in charge of the books. Raidou, don't let him sweet-talk you."

Raidou was in no danger of being sweet-talked, not on this subject. It was Tae who fell victim to Narumi's quivering chin.

"Wellllll, I suppose I could spot you two for lunch, in the name of getting a lead on a story. And in the name of female empowerment. _If_ you promise to fess up. How does Isaka-Ya sound?"

*

After weeks of being closed, the soba restaurant near Ushigome-gaeri Bridge had reopened. The interior was dark and rustic, with a long bar fronting the kitchen and sturdy tables of polished wood along the wall. Narumi and Tae quibbled over the menu, but since the weather had turned stifling after the morning rains, in the end all three of them ordered cold noodles with dipping sauce. It was one of the least expensive dishes, so Tae had no reason to fret over the bill.

The noodles were good, although Tae seemed to forget about her food completely as Raidou described his encounter with the kraken.

"A giant demon _squid?_ Oh, for heaven's sake. As if giant demon grasshoppers weren't enough! I don't envy you your job, Raidou." She furrowed her brow. "All right, how can I swing this? The _Daily_ doesn't like to run stories on demons--that's not up to me, it's policy--but a giant squid is a real animal. Do you think I could write up the story and just...leave out the demon part? Call it a 'rogue super-giant squid'?"

"I don't see why not," said Narumi. He was eating with great care to avoid drips of dipping sauce on his suit. "Sounds like just the way to spin it. You're starting to get the hang of this reporter gig, little lady."

Tae put down her chopsticks long enough to shake a finger at him. "That's about enough 'little lady' out of you. Remember who's paying for your lunch." She paused. "Say, Raidou, you don't still happen to have that piece of tentacle you mentioned, do you? If I could get a photo of that to wave in front of the head editor, I'd have this scoop in the bag, for sure."

Raidou hesitated. The piece of tentacle was still in Dr. Victor's care, and he had a feeling the doctor would be reluctant to part with it. Tae had never seen the Gouma-Den. Victor's services were for summoners only; he preferred to keep a low profile, and might object if Raidou arrived with a reporter in tow--but Raidou wanted to help Tae. He hadn't understood the obstacles she faced, not really, not in his bones, until he'd caught a glimpse of the grudge she struggled with in Abaddon. If there was something he could do to smooth the way for her in her career, he wanted to do it.

He told her he could take her to see Dr. Victor. Tae clapped her hands and tucked into her noodles with fresh gusto. "Raidou, you're a peach! I'll buy you soba any day."

"Does that apply to me, too?" asked Narumi.

"You?" Tae sniffed. "Why should it?"

"Oh, I bet I can think of something. I'm the boss of him, for one thing."

"Pfft. Barely. Which reminds me, Raidou, congrats on your promotion. Although really, it's probably just an excuse for Narumi to do even less work. If that's humanly possible. I don't know, what do you think?"

She remained sunny all through lunch and on the way to the Gouma-Den, right up until they entered the laboratory. Whatever Victor had been doing to the kraken tissue sample, it left a powerful odor behind. Tae made a strangled noise. She covered her nose with one hand.

"Eeeugh! What a stink!"

Dr. Victor beamed. On him it was an unnerving expression. "That, my dear young lady, is the smell of scientific advancement! And who might you be? It's rare to see Kuzunoha here in the company of the fairer sex."

He seemed curious but unruffled, so Raidou performed the necessary introductions with relief. When Dr. Victor agreed to a photo shoot, Raidou left the two of them to arrange the details without his help. He caught up with Narumi across the street from Konnou-Ya, in the sparse shade of the young willows by the river. As he approached, Narumi turned and smiled at him around a cigarette.

"All set?"

*

The Shisaido building in Ginza was just as Narumi had described it: modern, three stories, with a stylish brick facade. At a glance the interior looked airy and bright. A shopgirl with impeccable skin greeted Narumi and Raidou as soon as they walked through the door.

It seemed like the kind of place that might discriminate against cats, but there was no difficulty with Gouto's presence, since Gouto had elected not to come. _I've had enough playing third wheel on your dates,_ he'd yawned. _This time I'll pass. Try not to run into any Fiends without me._

The protest that it wasn't a date but a mission had died on Raidou's tongue. He himself was growing less and less sure of the distinction, and nothing Narumi did or said helped to make the matter clear.

He wasn't even sure when the unclarity had started. That first night in Tsukigata Village, maybe, which he scarcely remembered thanks to his drug-laced meal. He did remember relaxing in the Shirahige hot springs--relaxing a little too much. He thought he remembered Narumi's daft assurances, and Narumi's hands. The hands might have been persuasive, though Raidou had neither believed nor disbelieved the assurances at the time. He'd been withholding judgment. And then that last night in Tsukigata Village, when he'd been so tired and Narumi had been so good to him. It had been easier to stop withholding, then.

Narumi tipped his hat to the young woman who'd welcomed them. "Thank you, miss. Couple of things. My associate here--" he waved at Raidou, "is a student, as you can see. As part of his studies he's doing research for a report on perfumes. I told him you ladies were the experts on that, but he'd really like to talk to someone about formulation. Ingredients and suchlike. No need to divulge company secrets--just a general overview, you know what I mean?"

"Of course," said the clerk. She favored Raidou with a perfunctory smile.

"So if there's somebody upstairs he could chat with, that'd be dandy. As for me, I'm in the market for some new cologne. Maybe you could give me a hand with that?" He cocked an eyebrow at the clerk.

"Of course," she said, with much more feeling. "Young sir, if you'd like to go straight through the back and up the stairs, you'll find our Production Division. The secretary should be able to direct you to someone who can answer your questions. As for you, sir," she dimpled at Narumi, "if you'd like to follow me..."

She guided Narumi toward a counter across the room. Everything in the shop seemed to be made of glass: countertops, the display shelves along the walls and windows, the bottles gleaming on the shelves, the circular mirrors at every station. Most of the patrons were young and female, dressed in fashionable Western clothes. In front of one counter a clerk in the company uniform applied rouge to the cheeks of a girl with sleek bobbed hair, while at another a slightly sallow older man inquired as to the whereabouts of pomade. Raidou bypassed them all in favor of the doorway indicated by the clerk, and made his way to the second floor.

The cover story Narumi had given was too effective not to use again. Raidou repeated it to the first employee he met at the top of the stairs, who led him to a secretary, who led him to a clean, well-lit room that Raidou was slow to recognize as some sort of laboratory, accustomed as he was to the Gouma-Den. Instead of severed chunks of demon, the tables were covered with tiny phials and slips of paper, all meticulously labeled. A stooping, grey-haired man in a white coat and horn-rimmed glasses looked up from the phials and gave Raidou a querulous stare.

"You're the student, yes?" The man adjusted his glasses. "I have a little time--what do you want to know?"

It seemed best to start by softening up the informant with facile questions, and letting him ramble on the theme of aromatics and essential oils. At last Raidou began to feel he was in striking distance. He asked the man whether ambergris was often used in the composition of perfumes.

"Ambergris? Yes, of course, we use it as a fixative, along with certain resins..."

Raidou explained that he was hoping to obtain some for his report. Just a sample. Something to show the rest of the class.

Despite being shorter than Raidou, the querulous man managed to look down his bespectacled nose at him.

"Young fellow, do you have any idea how much ambergris is worth? Thousands of yen for a single gram!"

For a moment Raidou felt as he imagined Narumi must have about the forbidden cuff-links. His heart sank.

"Not only that, it's very difficult to source. Our company has suppliers, of course, but even so it can never be had in reliable quantities. I do have some on hand, but I'm afraid selling it is out of the question. Now, if you've finished, I'm very busy, and would like to get back to...what are you doing?"

From the pocket of his uniform Raidou had removed a stick of incense and a tiny brass holder in which to burn it. He set the holder on the nearest table, then asked the querulous man for a light.

The querulous man produced a book of matches, if only out of sheer bewilderment. Raidou struck a match and briefly--very briefly--touched the flame to the tip of the incense stick.

A single wisp of smoke uncurled. Before it could grow more substantial, Raidou snuffed the match.

The querulous man sniffed, then gasped.

"This...what _is_ this? I've never...why, I feel more lively, somehow, just from that one whiff! Miraculous. What sort of incense--it is incense, yes?"

"Vitality Incense," said Raidou. He wet his thumb and pressed it to the incense stick, to make sure all trace of heat was extinguished. "If you burn it and breathe the smoke, your stamina is strengthened, your lifespan increased. I can't tell you how it works, only that it does. You won't find it anywhere for sale."

"How--how did you come by it, then?"

Raidou smiled faintly. "Trade secret."

The querulous man licked his dry lips.

Raidou drew another stick of incense from his pocket and cupped the two of them in his palm. "I don't know how it's made, or what the components are. If you wanted to know, you could analyze it. I could give these to you." He looked the querulous man in the eye. "I need ambergris."

The querulous man stood quivering for a moment, like a flustered rabbit deciding which way to jump. Then he went to a cabinet along the wall, opened the top drawer and rustled in it, and returned with a grayish lump of something no bigger than a chestnut. He offered the lump to Raidou.

"Will this be enough?"

*

Raidou was still brooding over the exchange as he went downstairs. Two sticks of Vitality Incense--for a lump of waxy stuff spat out or shat out by a whale. It was highway robbery, but at least he had everything he needed for Dr. Victor to forge the harpoon. He would be able to face the kraken tonight, before more damage could be done.

On the ground floor he found Narumi at the fragrance counter, chatting up the susceptible sales clerk, surrounded by bottles of cologne.

"Success?" Narumi asked, when Raidou came to stand next to him.

Raidou nodded glumly.

"Good, I need a second opinion here."

Narumi had removed his wristwatch: it sat gleaming on the glass countertop among the bottles. The cuff of his shirt was unbuttoned, folded back to expose his wrist. His uncovered skin looked starkly bare. The exposure could hardly be called indecent--it was only his wrist--but the sales clerk was standing there, all too attentive, and for a moment Raidou wanted to pull the cuff back up and button it, and haul Narumi out of the shop.

It was absurd. Raidou lowered his head and drew a tentative breath.

_The sea_

That was his first thought. A clean, salt smell. The sea, and the wind over the sea. As he breathed in further the scent changed--a shift in the wind--to pure Narumi, just as Narumi usually smelled only moreso. It was a good smell. Very good.

Raidou caught his arm moving as if of its own volition. He set his hand on the glass countertop to steady himself, and to keep from grabbing hold of what he shouldn't.

Narumi was watching him with eyes that missed nothing. "What do you think? Think a certain somebody might approve?"

It took Raidou several long, dimwitted seconds to realize who a certain somebody was. He felt a little as he did when a blow in battle struck him dizzy, or when a demon blindsided him with a spell of charm. He couldn't have spoken even if he'd wanted to. He bobbed his head.

Narumi fastened his watch, rebuttoned his cuff deftly, and smiled at the clerk. "Thanks for your help, miss. I appreciate it."

The clerk nodded as dumbly as Raidou had, as if the charm spell had bludgeoned her, too.

"I'll have to stop back later. Forgot to bring my pocket change."

He tipped his hat in farewell. Raidou followed him out of the store in a daze. Outside, they paused on the sidewalk in the shade of an awning while Narumi lit a cigarette. Raidou found himself gazing fixedly at Narumi's wrist, the one with the cologne on it. He wanted to reach for it, lift it to his mouth and breathe that smell again.

He reached instead into his pocket for an Anti-Mind. Even after he swallowed it, it failed to clear his head.

Smoke trailed in a sinuous wisp from Narumi's cigarette. "Hot enough to fry an egg out here. I could do with a drink to cool off," he said. "Haven't been to Shin-Sekai in a while. How about...oh, I suppose a soda's not in the budget, either." His smile turned so wry it was nearly a wince. "This frugality business is brutal. Anyhow, you're probably anxious to get back to Victor's."

He exhaled a puff, then set off at a leisurely pace toward the streetcar stop.

They joined the crowd of people waiting for the next tram. The heat seemed to shimmer in the air above the rails. Businessmen had loosened their ties and shed their jackets. A group of women in kimono fanned themselves with bamboo-and-paper fans.

"I worry about it, see," Narumi added, in a voice pitched to carry no further than Raidou's ears. "About distracting you. Now, don't get me wrong--I want to distract you." His eyes met Raidou's directly. "I just don't want to go overboard. You send up a flag if I'm going overboard, you get me?"

Raidou ignored the swimming of his head as best he could, and considered the request. He thought he understood the sense of it.

"...Like with the money?"

"That's it." Narumi smiled crookedly. He flicked ash from the end of his cigarette, stepped a little closer, pretended to pluck a piece of lint that wasn't there from Raidou's sleeve.

Raidou stepped backward--if not far--for the sake of more air between them. One Anti-Mind wouldn't do the job. He needed a hundred Anti-Minds. He needed to breathe.

"Sir," he said tautly, "this is overboard."

Narumi laughed, and then the streetcar came clattering to take them back to Tsukudo-Cho.

*

The lump of ambergris turned out to be more than enough. Dr. Victor readied the twin cages in his laboratory: Steels and Pearl and ambergris on one side, Raidou's old Himezuru on the other. Raidou watched him crank the cages high into the air, then throw the switch to perform the fusion. Energy whirled as the cages and their contents merged. As always, Raidou had to avert his eyes at the last instant from the searing intensity of the light.

When Dr. Victor lowered the cages, the Himezuru was gone. In its place lay a spear of tremendous size, with a wicked barbed head and a chain attached to the opposite end.

"Behold your new weapon!" Dr. Victor announced. "Ohmori!"

Raidou stepped forward to take up the harpoon. It was nearly as long as he was tall. As with all of Dr. Victor's forged weapons, it seemed to leap into his hand when he touched it, still warm from the fusion's heat. His fingers tingled as they clasped it. When he reached to pick up the chain in his other hand, he found it much lighter than expected. The links glimmered with an iridescent sheen.

"Now, listen carefully, Kuzunoha, as I explain the true brilliance of my creation! The end of this harpoon's chain may be affixed to anything. Anything at all--_even air._ Simply recite a binding spell over the place you wish to fasten it, and no demon in the world will be able to break the hold." Dr. Victor heaved a sigh and pressed a hand to his cheek, as if overcome by the wonder of his own ingenuity. "I wish you good hunting. If you should happen to bring back any more samples of kraken tissue, I'd be glad to receive them."

It occurred to Raidou too late that he could have stowed the harpoon at the Gouma-Den and retrieved it when he left for Harumi-Cho, rather than carry it up the street. The fishmonger gaped as he walked past. For once the inquisitive old lady had no questions. She and all the other passersby gave him a wide berth. It was a relief to reach the Ginroukaku Building's entrance, even if he was faced with the challenge of maneuvering the harpoon inside.

When he finally reached the office, Narumi was reading the newspaper, with one corner of it bent to preserve his view of the door. Needless to say, he noticed what Raidou was carrying. For a second his eyes widened. Then his lips began to quirk.

"Well, hello there. Is that a harpoon in your pocket--"

It's not in my pocket, thought Raidou doggedly.

"--or are you just happy to see me?"

Gouto sat up on the couch and flickered an ear. "Careful with that thing, junior, you might poke a hole in the wall. And the wall might like it."

Raidou wondered why it was that out of the three people in the agency, only the youngest of them felt no need to make juvenile off-color jokes. He leaned the harpoon in the corner near the doorway, business end pointed up, and looped the chain into a coil on the floor.

"Looks like that ought to do the trick," Narumi said. He folded his newspaper. "While you were out I made some calls, talked to our pals at the Navy. They'll make sure the zone around the harbor's clear, so you won't have to worry about pesky civilians. Or pesky reporters," he added, as if the two were different species. "So that's that. All you have to do is do your thing."

Raidou nodded.

"Run the plan by me one more time, will you? Just so's I have it clear in my head."

The plan was to arrive at the harbor before dark, convince the kraken to appear, use a Frost demon to freeze paths on the water as necessary, spear the kraken with the harpoon to prevent escape, and slay it. Come home. Take a bath. Go to bed.

"So you'll want to head out around, what. Eight o'clock?"

Between eight and eight-thirty, if he were going by Tarrasque. If he summoned Great Kohryu, he wouldn't need to leave until nine.

Narumi glanced at his wristwatch. "Couple of hours to kill. Time for a nap, if you want."

It would be the sensible thing to do. Raidou didn't know how long the battle would take: he might have a late night ahead. He ought to eat something, too. There was still that request from Harada &amp; Co. to attend to. Or his summer homework. He'd been working on it regularly, and was more than halfway through.

He moved to do none of those things. He felt Gouto's eyes on him, and couldn't bring himself to meet them. The back of his neck felt strangely hot.

He took off his cape and holsters, laid them on his desk, and went to sit on the couch. As soon as he did, Gouto jumped down and sauntered toward the door. Raidou was taken aback.

"Gouto--"

The black tail swung back and forth like a pendulum. "Funny, I suddenly feel like a stroll. Outside. On the roof. Anywhere but here. Ain't the power of feline intuition grand?"

Chagrined, Raidou ducked his head. Gouto paused at the top of the steps and turned back to him.

"Look, I haven't really weighed in on this, because I figure it's not really my business, but just so we're on the level, you're not the first Raidou who's discovered a taste for fruits and nuts. It's nothing I haven't seen before, so don't get your knickers in a twist. You're old enough to make your own decisions. If it's the clan you're worried about, well, they're not getting any dirt out of me."

Gouto glanced across the room toward Narumi.

"I may not think the world of muttonhead over there, but he's not a bad guy, as good-for-nothing wastrels go. He thinks the world of you, and I can't fault him for that." When Raidou continued to sit dumbfounded, Gouto lashed his tail. "Are you going to open the damn door or aren't you? Just because I'm at peace with it doesn't mean I want to break out the popcorn and watch."

Raidou sprang up as if he'd been jabbed in the hindquarters. He took the stairs two at a time and opened the door, bowing deeply at the waist.

"Gouto," he managed, "Gouto, thank you--"

"All right, all right, no waterworks." Gouto padded primly out the door and down the hallway. "I'll see you in a couple of hours."

The door clicked shut behind him. The _click_ sounded unnaturally loud.

Raidou stood there for a moment, perfectly still, before reaching out to lock the bolt.

That _click_ too seemed much louder than it ought to be. The heated feeling crept over the nape of his neck again. He turned to go back down the stairs and found Narumi watching him with bemusement.

"What was all that about?"

Much too much to explain. Raidou rubbed his nose.

"...Gouto wanted out," he said.

"Yeah, I gathered that. Everything square?"

Raidou nodded.

"You sure?"

He nodded again with more vigor.

"Well, good." Narumi ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I've been sitting here repenting, by the way. I shouldn't have wound you up like that before, in Ginza. That was a lousy idea." He propped his chin on one hand. "You should've seen your face in that perfume shop, though. I wanted to sit you down on that glass counter and--well, I better not say."

Raidou stared at him. Narumi's gaze in return was mild, if not wholly innocuous.

Before he could think better of it, Raidou reached up, took off his hat, and placed it on the sofa beside him.

He looked back at Narumi, whose eyebrows tilted just the slightest.

"You want me to come over there?"

Raidou drew a breath. He nodded once.

Narumi eyed him for another minute, then pushed back his chair. "And here I'd just talked myself out of doing any more distracting."

He hooked a finger around his necktie to loosen it as he crossed the room. Raidou's fingers clenched on the sofa cushions. By the time Narumi sat down next to him and draped an arm around his shoulders, he'd given up respiration altogether. Narumi looked amused--and worse, sympathetic. He tapped Raidou in the chest with one finger until Raidou inhaled.

"Easy, tiger. Better see if we can get you unwound a tad."

With one hand he began to undo the buttons of Raidou's uniform, starting from the collar and working down.

Raidou grasped Narumi's other arm--the one slung around his shoulders--and huddled his face against Narumi's wrist. The scent of the cologne had ebbed, but it was still there. Sea and sea salt, skin salt and skin and Narumi. It smelled so good. He felt a finger stroke lightly over his ear.

"You like that stuff, don't you."

Raidou nodded without letting go.

Narumi seemed unfazed by the deathgrip. "Me too. Soon as you give me the word I'll go and buy the biggest bottle they have."

Then it wasn't a finger against Raidou's ear, it was nose and lips and nuzzling. When Narumi nipped his earlobe, a shudder wracked him. He shifted his hips. His uniform trousers were fitted: they left almost no room for development of any kind. In any direction. He wasn't one to complain about discomfort, or even mortal agony, but the elders in Kuzunoha Village had never trained him how to sit through this. Narumi's fingers slipped the lowermost button of Raidou's uniform jacket from its hole.

Raidou clutched at his other arm. "Narumi-san--"

"Hm?" Narumi pulled the white undershirt untucked and slid his palm up Raidou's stomach. He raked his fingertips up and down in what had to be the softest scratches ever made. "Cut to the chase, is that it?"

Raidou shut his eyes. If there had been a tube for him to crawl into, he would have. He started to apologize.

"Don't be sorry." He could hear the smile in Narumi's voice. "It's been a while since I was your age. I forget I'm supposed to pick up the pace."

Once Raidou's trousers were open, it all happened terribly quickly.

Not until afterward did Narumi toss aside the damp handkerchief--raw silk, his own--and cup Raidou's cheek and kiss him. On the mouth, shallow at first, then wet and deep. It made Raidou forget to be mortified. Instead he felt grateful to Narumi for waiting; he wouldn't have been able to concentrate, before, or properly appreciate. Now that the tension had poured out of him, the slide of that warm tongue against the inside of his mouth was amazing. It made him want to crawl on top of Narumi and ride him, like he did the golden dragon when they eddied through the sky.

Between kisses Narumi petted him and muttered ridiculous things, like _damn you're gorgeous_ and _sweet thing_ and _c'mere,_ as if Raidou could scoot any closer than he already was. Raidou was getting used to the inanities. He was getting used to the gooey feeling like melted mochi in the pit of his innards, too.

Narumi nuzzled his jaw and hnnnmmed at him. "Those faces you make."

I make faces, thought Raidou. Were you supposed to make faces?

"They're better than a dirty magazine."

Raidou made a face in earnest. He stopped when Narumi started to undo the buttons on his vest, followed by the dress shirt underneath. Raidou reached to help him, tentative at first, then more determined. He was sure he could do for Narumi what Narumi had done for him, if not as expertly. The bulge in Narumi's trousers looked as aggravated as his own had been. He expected some further direction, or suggestion at least, but none came.

"Narumi-san," he murmured, "what should I do?"

Narumi removed his tie in one smooth, practiced tug. "Good question. Here's one for you: if I told you to sit on my lap, would you do it, or would you cut me into little bitty pieces?"

The sword was on the far side of the room. Even if it hadn't been, Raidou himself had harbored thoughts of straddling a minute ago. He felt obscurely warmed that he and Narumi were in such keen accord.

He put his hands on Narumi's shoulders, slid his leg over Narumi's thighs, and climbed aboard. It took them a minute to get situated--the sofa was on the narrow side, and for his height Raidou's legs were long--but once they had, Narumi blew out a beatific puff of air.

"Thaaaat's the ticket." He undid the rest of the buttons on Raidou's shirt, then leaned forward and bumped his forehead against the uncovered skin. He muttered. "You better be up for round two in a minute, kid, because I want to see some more pinup faces out of you. And I hope you don't mind a mess all over your tummy, because that's where this is headed, real quick."

I am sitting on a pervert, thought Raidou. The thought carried no resentment, only affection with an edge of rue. He'd let himself in for it now. Too late to backtrack. He sat bolt upright as Narumi's hands slid up his chest--greedy, or greedier than before--and found his nipples. Found them, rubbed them gently and then less gently with attentive thumbs. In short order Raidou was panting as hard as he did in battle. Then Narumi clawed his own trousers open and had them both in hand, one in each, and if double duty was a strain for him, he didn't show it. Raidou's mouth opened on no sound at all.

The second round was better. He held on longer, anyway, and had the spare sense to register that it was Narumi doing this, and this time he was never going to forget what happened, no matter what anyone drugged his dinner with. Narumi's hand, Narumi's mouth talking nonsense into his skin--_that's it, come on, come on now, give it to me, sweetheart_ was the least of it, and the least was enough to burn Raidou's ears in a way his demons' lewdness never did. Or Narumi's eyes gone smoky and oddly searching, looking up to him with an expression that seemed more naked than any other part of either of them. It didn't last long, but it made Raidou's ribcage feel like a door flung wide open. As soon as the look was gone he wanted to see it again.

He threw one arm against the wall for balance. The other he clamped around the wiry-soft tousle of Narumi's hair. He was rocking his hips, and couldn't help it. More than rocking--swiveling, and trying somehow to get deeper into Narumi's fist. He wasn't sure if he was meant to move so much, or if you were supposed to try to keep still, until Narumi said _mmhnn, just like that_, and again, _just like that_, and Narumi shuddered and that was how it ended, too. Just like that. With a mess all over his stomach, as promised.

When they were through, the handkerchief was even damper than before, and more pungent. Narumi dropped it on the floor and groped vaguely at his shirt, then collapsed backward on the sofa, taking Raidou with him. He groaned.

Bleary as he was, Raidou tensed. He wondered what was wrong, what he'd done badly. He'd been too forward, or not forward enough, or too wanton, or not wanton enough, or too focused on himself and not enough on Narumi--whatever the fault was, he would amend it, he would--

"Cigarettes," Narumi muttered. "On the desk."

Raidou blinked. Some of the tightness in his shoulders eased. He had no desire to move, maybe ever, but that was a small qualm. He asked whether he should go and get the cigarettes.

"No, don't be a ninny. You stay right here."

An arm looped around him, and a hand thumped him lightly on the back of the head. Raidou relaxed entirely. He asked whether he should send a demon.

"Nah, forget it. Let's keep this between us two, hm?" Narumi ran his hands haphazardly over Raidou before settling one of them at last between Raidou's shoulderblades, the other at the small of his back. The breath he heaved when that was done sounded too self-satisfied to be a sigh. A long yawn followed. "Still not too late for that nap," he muttered.

Raidou closed his eyes. The drumming heartbeat under his ear was strange--so loud, and humbling somehow to hear at such close range--and pacifying. Maybe he hadn't done badly, for a novice. A nap sounded more than necessary. He'd never fallen asleep on top of anyone before--until today he would have thought it impossible--but Narumi seemed to make a beautiful futon. Noisy pillow and all.

*

The headwind on Great Kohryu's back was bracing. There'd been an awkward moment at first, when Raidou called the dragon and then balked before climbing on, while Gouto's fur bristled with exasperation. In the end he'd decided to ride side-saddle, even though he was probably in no danger of embarrassing himself. Once they were in the air and soaring, he felt fully at ease. Refreshed. Invigorated. He felt as if he could defeat a dozen kraken and still be home in time for breakfast.

"A kraken, is it?"

The dragon's voice boomed. His whiskers whipped past Raidou's head like banners as they flew. Below them the lights of the Capital shone in familiar patterns, glittering, each neighborhood a constellation Raidou knew as well as the celestial ones. The first few stars of evening pricked through the purpling sky overhead.

"Indeed, I know of them. An ancient race. They dwell in the depths of the sea, and rarely cross paths with mankind. So few are left, now. A pity that this one should have incurred your enmity, worthy summoner, for you shall surely slay it, and usher the breed one step closer to demise."

Raidou gazed at the dragon--at the back of his head and horns, at least--in dismay. Dr. Victor had told him kraken were rarely seen, but had said nothing about extinction. The harpoon in Raidou's hand grew suddenly heavier. With his other hand he tightened his grip on Great Kohryu's mane as the dragon began to descend.

"I do not mean to censure," Great Kohryu added. The harbor spread out below them, looming nearer by the second. "If the beast wreaks havoc in your domain, of course you must subdue it. That is your task. It merely grieves me that what is to be must be."

They landed in an empty street in Harumi-Cho, not far from the Catholic church. Raidou and Gouto sprang down from the dragon's back. Great Kohryu's whiskers twisted in midair as he turned his massive head.

"I fear I have increased your burdens, worthy summoner," he rumbled. "You seemed in high spirits when you called on me, so if my words have dimmed your heart, I beg your pardon."

Gouto's ears twitched at _high spirits,_ but he said nothing.

"No," Raidou told the dragon, "I value your counsel. Thank you. If all goes well, I may call on you again tonight."

"And I shall bear you anywhere you wish to go."

Without touching the earth, Great Kohryu coiled, then leapt again into the air above the rooftops in one bound. Raidou stepped backward and watched him ascend, a serpentine shape winding and unwinding, pale gold against the darkening sky. Dragons, too, were rarer now than they had been in ages past. At times--when duty demanded--Raidou had fought them, even slain them, but it was disquieting to think of a world without them. There should be a place in the world for kraken, too.

And there was a place, at the bottom of the sea. Dr. Victor had blamed this kraken's rampage on the recent earthquakes. If it could be made to return to the depths--or, barring that, to another refuge where it could do no harm....

"What's the holdup?" said Gouto. "We should head down to the water--it's nearly dark."

Raidou hesitated for another heartbeat. All of his tubes were occupied: he would have to release a demon to make room. He chose quickly and summoned Raiju.

When the demon appeared before him, Raidou told it to go free.

Raiju crackled, squinting. "Free? Whaddaya mean, 'free'?"

"I release you." Raidou spoke the incantation of unbinding. It ended on a cutting gesture in the air with his right hand. "In exchange, I charge you to live peaceably among the people of this city from this day forth."

"Hells yeah!" screeched Raiju. "Anarchy in the Capital! Uhh, I mean, sure, man. Whatever you say. Been nice knowin' ya."

It vanished with a sizzling cackle.

Raidou sighed. It was bad practice to release a demon in the ordinary world, but there was no time to travel to the Dark Realm now. At least Raiju was a relatively weak one. Harumi-Cho might be doomed to more power outages, even in the absence of storms. Raidou slid the empty tube into his holster and set off toward the docks, with Gouto trotting alongside.

"Somehow I get the feeling we'll be seeing that goon again," said Gouto. "Listen, I heard what the dragon said, and if you're clearing out a tube I can guess what you're up to, but are you sure about this? Trying to talk to that thing? You're not going soft on account of twitterpation, are you?"

Raidou stopped in his tracks. Gouto stopped with him. Raidou stared at him for a long, unspeaking moment, then strode off at a merciless pace. He pulled the brim of his hat down almost level with his eyes. He'd thought--after what Gouto had said earlier, he'd thought Gouto had more faith in him. His heels snapped on the cobblestone street.

Gouto leapt after him. "Sorry. That was out of line."

Raidou marched on in silence.

"Now, don't take that tone with me, junior. I said I was out of line. Hit a nerve, did I?"

"You think I should kill the kraken without trying to negotiate," said Raidou, lifting his chin.

"I didn't say that. I asked if you were sure about what you were doing."

"I am."

"Fine, that's what I like to hear. Firm, manly declarations. No twitterpations."

Raidou wheeled to a halt. The wind from the bay rose and came rushing past, making his cape buckle. He turned his face into it and fixed his eyes on the sea.

"Gouto," he said, "I understand why the clan would frown on...what I'm doing. With Narumi-san." _Forbids_ would have been more accurate. Raidou chose not to dwell on that.

Gouto chose not to correct him. "Yeah? I never thought you didn't."

"Because duty has to take precedence."

"That's not the only reason, but it's the big kahuna."

"But I think I can do my duty better, if...if I'm with him." It should've felt heretical to say it, or at least unsettling. He'd never been one to dismiss Kuzunoha tenets, but in this Raidou felt somehow that he was still obeying them, in spirit if not letter. Maybe he was obeying a different set.

Maybe that was exactly how criminals justified their crimes. His shoulders sank a little. Gouto's eyes were on him, appraising and calm. The calm was reassuring, until Raidou recalled that Gouto himself was doing penance for some sin committed long ago.

"We'll see," Gouto said. "Maybe so. You're an exception in a lot of ways, and like I said, you're old enough to make your own decisions. I don't plan on ratting to anybody--I'm a cat, not a rat, and if the clan wanted a rat they should've sent one--but here's fair warning: if it looks to me like things are going off the rails, I'm not just going to sit by and twiddle my paws, either."

Nodding soberly, Raidou thanked him.

"Don't mention it. Really, don't. Let's shoot for never speaking of this again, all right? If we never have to, I'll be happy."

Raidou was grateful. Deeply so--but at the same time there was still something in Gouto's tone he didn't care for. It might have been the sting of _twitterpation_ lingering. He laid a hand on his sword hilt and spoke coolly, not quite off the cuff.

"I sat on his lap."

Gouto's hackles rose. "Gah! Stop! No details! My tender ears." He shook himself until his fur settled. "You're getting to be a handful, you know that?"

"You have no hands," Raidou said.

"Don't I know it," muttered Gouto. "All right, come on, enough chitchat about your shady affairs. Time to go hunt the underwater wumpus."

*

Tonight, at least, there was a moon.

It was waxing, not yet full: if it had been full Raidou's plan would have been in vain. For all his and Gouto's hurrying, there was no sign yet of the kraken, nor of any other living soul. They encountered no one on their way to the harborside, and saw no ships abroad on the bay. The Navy had done its work.

The wind stilled, leaving the air warm and the sea calm. Raidou summoned Raja Naga to freeze a path extending from the end of a jetty, but even when he walked the length of the ice and peered down into the water, nothing stirred in its murk. He could barely sense a demonic presence, camouflaged by depth and distance, lurking somewhere below.

Waiting on the kraken's leisure had no place in his plan. He followed Dr. Victor's instructions to affix the chain of his harpoon to the air above the path of ice. It was strange to see a chain attached to nothing, but the binding spell held when he pulled it to test. Satisfied, he crouched at the edge of the ice and drew a phial from his pocket.

He poured the measure of Attract Water into the sea.

He waited.

His sense of the presence below grew sharper, stronger--slowly at first, then faster and faster. It was close. Closer. Almost here.

The waters of the bay seethed, then boiled, and then the kraken erupted from the waves with a roar.

Its body was bulbous, tall as a building. The shape of it was like neither squid nor octopus exactly, but something like and unlike both. Its eyes were huge, pallid, with no irises, only wide black pupils that seemed to stare at nothing. Whatever mouth it had was hidden among its tentacles, and the tentacles were everywhere: wriggling, coiling and uncoiling, too many of them to count. In one of them the kraken clutched a dead and rotting sperm whale, just as a little girl might cling to a doll.

That was when Raidou understood.

It was only a child.

Determination steeled him. He summoned Sati, who took her place opposite Raja Naga. He stood with his feet planted on the spit of ice, his ally demons beside him, and called out.

The kraken roared in answer. Child or no, its voice was the howl of a typhoon.

"HURTS," it thundered. "MY ARM."

One of the tentacles thrust up from the waves and swept past Raidou. The very tip of it was missing, lopped off cleanly by a blade. Raidou cleared his throat, then called out again.

"Kraken! This is not your realm. Return to the depths from which you came."

The kraken moaned.

"NO. NO RETURN. THE SEA-FLOOR SHOOK. THE CREVICE CLOSED. MY CAVERN, GONE." The glaze of its pale eyes looked woebegone. "OTHER CAVERNS, THE OLD ONES TOOK. THE GREAT ONES."

All of its tentacles wiggled, stirring the waves into a froth of despair.

Confinement, then, thought Raidou. If the demon would not or could not return, there was no other way. Not if it wanted to live.

"I have a new cavern for you," he said. "If you yield to me, it's yours."

He held up his empty tube. The kraken stared.

"SMALL CAVERN," it said.

At Raidou's side Sati waved a fiery hand. "They're much more spacious on the inside! And you can decorate however you like."

"Yeah, man, I got a swimming pool in mine," said Raja Naga.

The kraken ignored them. "SMALL CAVERN. TOO SMALL FOR KRAKEN."

Raidou lowered the tube. Showing the real estate in advance was rarely a good idea. He should have known better. Pain was a more certain route.

"You're injured," he said. "I can heal your wounds. I can offer you safety. Will you yield?"

The kraken barely paused to consider.

"NO."

It raised one of its tentacles high, like a cat's paw ready to whap a toy or prey and send it flying. Raidou was neither. He gave the kraken no time to strike. He drew back his arm and flung the harpoon into its huge, unblinking eye.

The kraken screamed. Its entire body convulsed, throwing up a storm of waves that crashed down on the spit of ice where Raidou and his demons stood. It tried to submerge, but the harpoon's chain pulled taut and held it tethered. When it realized there was no escape, it surged toward Raidou. Raidou drew his sword.

He rolled to dodge the first tentacle that tried to seize him, and the second, but the third knocked him off his feet. He landed hard on the ice and skidded, nearly sliding off the edge. Gritting his teeth, he plunged his sword into the ice itself for purchase, then struggled upright and shouted to Sati and Raja Naga.

Raja Naga rushed in with his spear. Sati let loose a barrage of fire. The kraken roared as flames engulfed it; it had never been burned before in its life at the bottom of the sea. Suddenly it reared, spreading its tentacles to reveal a hideous maw. Its body rippled, pulsing obscenely. It opened its mouth and vomited a gout of viscous black ink.

Raidou hurled himself to one side. He and Sati avoided the spray, but it struck Raja Naga in the face. The demon sputtered.

"Damn, that shit's nasty! Poison, boss."

Raidou tossed him an antidote. Raja Naga caught it one-handed, gulped it down, and wiped his mouth with the back of one scaly fist.

"All right," he snarled, "now I'm frosted."

He darted forward and struck hard at the kraken's pierced eye.

"MOMMY," shrieked the kraken.

"Hah, that's better!" Raja Naga stabbed lustily. "Show some respect!"

Sati cheered and sent another round of fire. The kraken thrashed. When a wave rucked up by its roiling threatened to engulf her, Raidou called her to his side where he could shield her, then let her go after the wave crashed and broke. He was back on his feet, ready for the next tentacles that swept forward to smash him. In the instant before they could touch him, he leaped--

\--and brought his blade down as they passed beneath, one after the other. Blood spurted. The severed lengths of tentacle fell twitching on the ice.

The kraken was sobbing. It tried again and again to strike him; again and again Raidou cut through its flailing arms. The tide of the battle had to be clear to both of them. Without letting up his assault, Raidou raised his voice one final time.

"If you defy me--" he brought his sword down, "you will die here. Gulls will eat your corpse. If you yield, you will live, and my servants will heal you." He drove the blade into heaving meat. "I am Raidou Kuzunoha. Tell me you yield."

"YIELD," it shrieked, writhing. "I YIELD. I AM KRAKEN, I WILL SERVE YOU, I YIELD."

Its thrashing ceased. Breathing hard, Raidou withdrew his sword and slashed it through the air to shake blood from the blade. He told Sati and Raja Naga to leave off, then stepped forward, toward the kraken. He grasped the harpoon's trembling chain.

"This will hurt," he said.

With one pull he yanked the harpoon from the kraken's eye. Putrid liquid gushed from the wound in its wake, spewing in all directions. The kraken screamed again.

"Heal it," he ordered Sati. "Now."

She raised her arms. The spell flowed over all of them, not just the kraken, in warm merciful waves. Raidou felt would-be bruises fading on his back and sides. The kraken flinched at first, then shuddered hugely and drooped as the pain of its wounds subsided. It gurgled into the water, blowing fat bubbles of sputum that quivered and popped. Sati spoke to it in soothing tones as she continued to cast.

"There, there, poor stubborn thing. You'll be all right. Our Raidou's really a dear once you get to know him. Just don't be naughty again!"

Raja Naga whirled his spear and thumped the butt of it on the bridge of ice. "That was some intense negotiatin', boss," he said. "Reminds me why I'd rather be on your side than the other guy's."

Nodding, Raidou opened his empty tube to confine the kraken. "This is your home now," he told it. "I'm sorry you lost your other one. And I'm sorry about your arms."

The kraken sniveled. "THEY GROW BACK," it said. In spite of everything, it still clung to the dead sperm whale with one tentacle that remained intact. It turned its uninjured eye on Raidou. Up close, the eye itself was taller than he was. For a moment it seemed almost to wobble. "MAY I KEEP MY WHALE?"

Raidou said yes, you may, and recited the spell of confinement. The kraken sniveled once more before vanishing, whale and all, into the tube.

The waves of its passage subsided to ripples. The ripples smoothed into a pool of moonlight on the surface of the bay. Raidou watched the waters settle. He retrieved the harpoon from where it lay on the ice, then turned and strode toward the dock where Gouto waited, green eyes glowing, tail held high like a victory flag.

*

His uniform was soaked, but the ride home on Great Kohryu's back helped to dry it. By the time they reached the Ginroukaku Building, the hour was near midnight, and the agency office was dark. Raidou said goodnight to Gouto and went on to Narumi's apartment. He tried the door; it was unlocked. When he opened it a crack, light spilled into the hall.

The Tiffany lamp by the sofa was lit. Narumi was sprawled on the sofa in his dressing gown, reading a magazine--the regular un-dirty kind, some sort of pulp horror serial. During the day he kept mostly to news and nonfiction, maybe with the spurious idea that it might be somehow related to work, but at night his habits were more eclectic. He heard the door open and looked up with a smile.

"Back already? You made short work of that. Quit hovering and get in here, take a load off." He flipped the magazine shut. "So what'll it be? Dinner, a bath, or yours truly?"

His eyebrows waggled. Raidou ignored the waggle for the time being, but began to take off his cape and gear.

"I'd recommend the bath, myself. Looks like you got some goop on your hat, there. What is that, squid spunk? I hope I don't need to be jealous."

In the middle of unhooking his chest holster Raidou paused to pull out the new acquisition. The faint scent of seawater that seemed to waft from the tube was probably all in his head. He held it up between two fingers and looked at Narumi, who understood at once.

"You bagged it."

The pride in his voice was wholehearted. It always was. Raidou had long ago stopped finding it strange that Narumi should take pride in him, in the work he did. He was distantly aware that he had come to like it. To want it, even, the way he sometimes (only sometimes, and not often) craved a sweet. He could do without it well enough, but he could do with it even better. Even if Gouto or other sages had dire things to say about rotten teeth.

In any case, like the desk in the office, it was good to come home to. He could go back to standing by the railing if and when he had to. For now it felt right to sit down.

"Your pal Victor'll have a heyday when he finds out," Narumi was saying. "Too bad you can't hawk the damn thing down at the fish market in Tsukiji, you'd make a bundle off some sushi chef."

Raidou thought of kraken sashimi--baby kraken sashimi--with detached alarm. It was lucky confined demons couldn't overhear much in the way of external talk. He slid the tube back into place and took off the holster. On the sofa Narumi threw aside his magazine.

"Go wash that spunk off," he said, "and then you can tell me all about it."

Raidou did.

*

He slept hard--in retrospect he supposed the day had been eventful, if not as eventful as some--and woke much later than usual the next morning. He opened his eyes to broad sunlight streaming through the bedroom window, and Gouto seated like the statue of a feline demigod at the foot of the bed. Narumi's bed. In which Raidou had been sleeping. Narumi was nowhere in sight.

Raidou lurched upright, clutching the sheets to his waist.

"The thief of your virtue let me in," Gouto intoned. "I'm not even going to discuss what time it is, or how much murder you're getting away with lately on the oversleeping front. If there's one thing I won't stand for, it's that nogoodnik leading you down the primrose path of sloth. You and I are going to the training hall today, buster, followed by the Dark Realm, and I expect to see sweat."

Yes sir, thought Raidou. Right away sir. He fumbled hurriedly on the nightstand for his hat.

Once he was up and dressed and had his sideburns in order, he went to the office and found Narumi nose-deep in the _Capital Daily_. The headline read:

**ROGUE ULTRA-GIANT SQUID ATTACKS  
Revealing Tentacle Found At Scene**

Looking cheerful, Narumi pointed a finger at the article. "Asakura Kichou, the byline says. Not too shabby for a girl Friday. Front page news." He folded the paper and slid it across the desk, gesturing for Raidou to come and get it. Raidou glanced sideways at Gouto for permission before going to fetch.

"Have a nice snooze, did you?" Narumi asked.

Raidou thought it prudent to avoid Gouto's stare as he said yes.

"Well, good. Listen, whatever else you've got on your plate today, make sure you put dinner at Ryugu on the menu. What with one thing and another I haven't been able to take you there before, but now we're square with the owner again, so I figure why waste time. She says our first meal's on the house, by the by, so no need to fuss about the budget. It's great food, too, you'll like it. Solid Japanese. Plenty of rice."

Gouto's face had gone blacker than usual. Raidou waited.

"I suppose you need to eat," Gouto allowed. "Fine. You can go to Ryugu and make eyes at each other across the table."

The telephone rang. Narumi picked up the receiver and wedged it against his ear.

"Narumi Detective Agency. Yes ma'am, we specialize in special cases. That's right. No, we don't typically handle wayward husbands, I'm afraid. No." Wrinkling his nose, Narumi pinched the receiver by its cord and dangled it away from him, as if it were a dead rodent. The voice on the other end continued to squawk.

"You going out?" Narumi mouthed to Raidou.

Raidou nodded. After brief thought, he fetched one of the notebooks from his own desk, wrote "SHINODA + DARK REALM" on it neatly, and held the paper up.

Narumi flicked a hand to acknowledge, then grimaced again over the phone. "Uh-huh. I see. Sounds like a despicable louse. Ma'am, if you could hold on for just a minute--" He covered the receiver, leaned far away from the ringer box, and cracked a smile that was thoroughly for Raidou. "Give 'em hell, sweet cheeks."

They left the office before Gouto could choke.

Since it was difficult to read on dragonback, and since Raidou hated to call on Great Kohryu after bothering him twice the night before, they took the tram to Shinoda. The streetcar leaving the city was nearly empty, as usual. Raidou settled into a seat and unfolded the _Capital Daily_ to Tae's story, with Gouto peering over his shoulder as he read.


End file.
